(Fredericton, January 15, 2015) The Fredericton International Airport regrets that Air Canada and Sunwing no longer have an agreement on baggage handling of Sunwing flights in and out of Fredericton. The end of their agreement means that for this year, Sunwing’s usual Fredericton flight will be flying out of Saint John.

FIAA President and CEO David Innes says “we tried to help facilitate a solution that would have seen the service remain at the Fredericton airport this year, but since this is an issue between the two carriers and doesn’t involve the airport directly, the fact is we are limited in what we can do”.

Sunwing has stressed that this is simply an interruption in service and that the airline has every intention of being back at the Fredericton airport next year.

Sunwing’s full statement is below.

 

Suspension of flight services from Fredericton, New Brunswick

MEDIA STATEMENT

Toronto, ON – January 15, 2015

Sunwing Airlines has had a long standing presence in Fredericton, providing affordable “Champagne Service” vacations to Cuba from this market for 8 years.  While we planned to continue the operation this year, due to challenges securing a baggage handling service contract for this winter season, we have had to move our flight program to operate from the Saint John Airport.  We regret any inconvenience that this has caused our customers, and hope to be able to resolve this matter for future seasons.

Customers who were booked to depart from Fredericton to Varadero Cuba are being provided the option to depart from Saint John (with similar flight times), re-book another vacation option from Saint John or Moncton at the applicable price, or cancel for a full refund.  Customers who opt to keep their travel plans are also receiving compensation options including a $100 future travel voucher or $50 cash per person for their inconvenience.

Janine Chapman, Vice President of Marketing, The Sunwing Travel Group